Hitting out at union home minister Amit Shah over his ‘putri prem’ jibe against him, Sharad Pawar said the kind of opportunities he gave others, he never did to his daughter and three-time Baramati MP Supriya Sule.
“My putri! My daughter has been an MP for the past 18 years. Where is the question of putri prem here? She is an MP and ours is a small party. There were certain posts or opportunities and these we are giving to others. Praful Patel lost the election. We inducted him into the government, even though he lost the election. Suryakanta Patil, too, was inducted. Supriya never lost an election. I haven’t given these types of opportunities to Supriya, but to others. Where is the question of putri? The question of putri comes on merit and, that merit, yes, opportunity to contest an election was given,” he said, speaking exclusively to CNN-News18 during his campaign trail in Baramati.
Slamming the union home minister over his remarks about what Pawar has done for Maharashtra in the last 10 years, the veteran leader said: “He asks me? What did he do in 10 years? Travel to Maharashtra’s villages. See what has happened in the cooperative sector, the milk sector, the sugar sector, the educational institutions. I don’t know whether they have any moral authority to ask. But they are asking,” he said.
Earlier, during his speech at his daughter and MP Supriya Sule’s first rally in Baramati after nomination filing, he had said: “They have been in power for the last 10 years. And yet, they ask me what I have done.”
Pawar also spoke about the BJP-led central government’s alleged intentions on changing the Constitution. “What we are seeing for the past few days, the Modi government and their colleagues are taking a different line. In Bengaluru, one of the members of the Modi government, Hegde, said in his speech that they are eager to change the Constitution that will help Mr Modi take appropriate decisions. If you are openly saying you want to change the Constitution, it shows in which direction you want to go,” he said.
Asked about the opposition’s claim that the BJP is a threat to democracy and to the Constitution, he said: “Definitely, it is a threat to democracy and to the Constitution. Their intention shows, when a minister says so.”
While answering a question on the unity of the opposition INDIA Bloc, he said: “After elections, the INDIA bloc will consolidate its position. There might be some problems here and there today. Like in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has said something else. But, after the election, the entire leadership of the INDIA bloc will come together, will work together and will provide a viable alternative to the public at large.”
Beti vs bahu: ‘Not correct, but no split in family’
The senior NCP leader said he is not happy with the way the daughter-in-law has been pitted against the daughter of the family, in Baramati. “What has happened is not correct. But an election is an election,” he said, asked about the ‘bahu vs beti’ fight.
Sule will contest this election against her own sister-in-law and Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar. The alleged split in the family has been a dominant discussion not only in Baramati, but also outside. “I don’t think ‘split’ is the correct word because we have a large family. They are all staying with us. We are seven brothers, four sisters, their children and the next generation. Except one, Mr and Mrs Ajit Pawar and their two children. Except them, each and every member of this family doesn’t subscribe to this view and they don’t support them,” he said.
After the nomination papers were filed, the entire family, including Ajit Pawar’s younger brother, rallied behind Sule. They have all been campaigning for her in Baramati.
Asked if he was hurt by Ajit’s decision to split and to field his wife against Sule, he said: “I cannot say hurt, but it was a wrong decision taken by some of my family members. And you feel that after they have gone the wrong way, today or tomorrow or day after tomorrow, I don’t know when, but certain people may take strong action against them.”
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